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Re: What have you learnt today?

Don't recall which book it was, and don't feel compelled to go look. I think it's just called "The Roman Empire". Picked it up cheap used at a local bookstore. Some good information, but something about the writing style annoys me. The intro was "the Romans were really cool - yeah, they had slaves and were brutal in war, but they were really cool" for several pages.

Re: What have you learnt today?

I just learned my favorite singer Greta Salpeter/Morgan started a new band called Gold Motel. Been listening to her stuff all day. Sounds like The Pipettes, much lighter than her very dark Hush Sound stuff. Good that she is in a better place. The shocking part is she is younger than me.

Re: What have you learnt today?

Jethro Bodine

Jethro (though he addresses Jed as his uncle) is the son of Jed's cousin, Pearl Bodine. He drove the Clampett family to their new home in California and stayed on with them to further his education. The whole family boasts of Jethro's "sixth-grade education" but nevertheless feels he is a bit of an idiot. Jethro is simply naive in the first season of the show but becomes incredibly ignorant and pompous as the series progresses. He often shows off his cyphering abilities with multiplication and "go-zin-ta's," as in "five gozinta five one times, five gozinta ten two times," etc. The tallest student in his class in the town of Oxford (so named because "that's where the oxen used to ford the creek") because of his age, he is often impressing others that he graduated "top of his class at Oxford." In Beverly Hills, he decides to go to college. He manages to enroll late in the semester at a local secretarial school due to his financial backing and earns his diploma by the end of the day because he did not understand what was going on in class and was too disruptive. This was an ironic in-joke - in real life, Max Baer, Jr, has a bachelor's degree in business administration from Santa Clara University (he also minored in philosophy).

Many stories in the series involve Jethro's endless career search, which include such diverse vocations as a millwright, a brain surgeon, street car conductor, double-naught spy, Hollywood producer (a studio flunky remarks Jethro has the right qualifications for being a producer - a sixth-grade education and his uncle owns the studio. The in-joke gag of Jethro as a movie producer was replayed in the 1981 movie), soda jerk, short order cook, and once as a bookkeeper for Milburn Drysdale's bank. More often than not, his overall goal in these endeavors is to obtain as many pretty girls as humanly possible. Of all the Clampett clan, he is the one who makes the most change from 'country bumpkin' to 'city boy.' Another running gag is that Jethro is known as the "six-foot stomach" for his ability to eat: in one episode, he eats a jetliner's entire supply of steaks; in another, Jethro tries to set himself up as a Hollywood agent for cousin "Bessie" - with a fee of 10,000 bananas for Bessie and 1,000 bananas for Jethro. At one time Jed mentions Jethro was the only baby he knew born with a full set of teeth "just like a beaver". Jethro appears in 272 episodes; he is not in the third- or second-to-last episodes, but Baer of course remains billed in the title credits. Baer claimed he only auditioned for the role of Jethro for fun and never expected to get the part. Supposedly, he clinched the part largely because of his grin.

Re: What have you learnt today?

I learned that Ode to Billy Joe was filmed at Sidon, Mississippi and Google Earth tells me that Sidon has an amazing billabong (which a geography teacher told me a long time ago is a sure sign of a river in its senescence)

Re: What have you learnt today?

Originally Posted by JohannBessler

In recent times, journalists interviewed Bobbie Gentry, who wrote the song, to get her take on the lyrics, and what they meant to her as a songwriter.

She remarked that she never foresaw the controversy that her song caused, and certainly not people's fascination with it after all those years. What I found most intriguing is the fact that she never meant to portray any mystery on the matter of why he jumped off the bridge, or anything concering what was thrown off the bridge.

Rather, she noted,she intended to make a statement about the insensitivity of people, passing biscuits around the kitchen table, gossiping about trivial matters, while a major tragedy had just occurred.

So she intended to make a statement about shallowness, therefore she produced a shallow song hinting at depths to which she was as insensitive and insensible as anybody else.

Re: What have you learnt today?

Originally Posted by JohannBessler

@PrettyPete:

Insiders have revealed that Robbie Benson is and was one of the nicest, gentlest men they have ever met. In a town full of narcissistic bastards, I think it's refreshing to hear that not everybody there is an asshole.

What town is that? Not everybody anywhere is or narcissistic or gentle.

Re: What have you learnt today?

“[Dona Maria] saw that the people of this world moved about in an armor of egotism, drunk with self-gazing, athirst for compliments, hearing little of what was said to them, unmoved by the accidents that befell their closest friends, in dread of all appeals that might interrupt their long communion with their own desires.”
― Thornton Wilder, The Bridge of San Luis Rey

We're gonna sit down and have ourselves a drink! And after we're done - after *I'm* done, you can run upstairs and take whichever one of them little pills makes you feel the best~Dolores Claiborne

Re: What have you learnt today?

Originally Posted by JohannBessler

You won't let that Irish thing go, will you?…

It may be diluted in your wealthy country but unfortunately they make up 40% of my inefficiently-run one. They complain the loudest over every trivial issue and have infiltrated the governments so their emotive wailing is now broadcast by the state media.

Thankfully we're about to have a country-wide Royal Commission which may root out the decades of pedophilia and coverups within the Catholic Church. And hopefully it may bring some honesty into this massive organisation with all its propaganda, emotional blackmail and mind-control.

Re: What have you learnt today?

^ I was corresponding with Criostoir about these issues and he acknowledged the dependance on alcohol

There's an excellent Irish gay writer named Colm Toibin. He says his people have been INFANTILISED— first by the English landlords, secondly and most importantly by the Catholic Church, and thirdly by the EEU subsidies

Re: What have you learnt today?

Originally Posted by pat grimshaw

^ I was corresponding with Criostoir about these issues and he acknowledged the dependance on alcohol

There's an excellent Irish gay writer named Colm Toibin. He says his people have been INFANTILISED— first by the English landlords, secondly and most importantly by the Catholic Church, and thirdly by the EEU subsidies

"Infantilised" away from what previous or "natural" state?
With Criost? Is he Celtic-Slavic or something?

Re: What have you learnt today?

Originally Posted by JohannBessler

^Do you share my discomfort for the EEU?

Even from the date of its inception, I have never felt comfortable with it. An Englishman is not a German, who is not an Italian, who's not an Irishman, etc, and now innocent people have to pay the price for an act of idealism. I think the UK exercised most remarkable prudence when they chose not join the Euro.

To be fair, I can look at this situation from the viewpoint of an American. I only hope the very best for Europe. A big part of my heart lies in it; I care very much about its welfare. Right now, however, the situation looks pretty grim.

Extremely dumbed down Western civilization math for dummies (for those who always say I speak or write too much):

Europe 2012 = Roman Empire 312

USA = "Byzantine" Empire

Great Britain = Ancient Syria

Of course the values and, therefore, the equations, are false, but for lazy, "common" people who want quick impressions ignoring the capital, decisive, differentiating, stressing details, there they have it.

I always said that the EU would end up like this (I was so happy to find it that I commented on the vid back in 2009 or so):

but I still need an iconic representation of Britain laughing at The Continent for falling down from the same ground they all are sharing....

Re: What have you learnt today?

Originally Posted by JohannBessler

^Do you share my discomfort for the EEU?

Even from the date of its inception, I have never felt comfortable with it. An Englishman is not a German, who is not an Italian, who's not an Irishman, etc, and now innocent people have to pay the price for an act of idealism. I think the UK exercised most remarkable prudence when they chose not join the Euro.

To be fair, I can look at this situation from the viewpoint of an American. I only hope the very best for Europe. A big part of my heart lies in it; I care very much about its welfare. Right now, however, the situation looks pretty grim.

I love the EU
Of course no system is perfect and there's always room for improvement
Yet it's the best thing that happened to Europe in the past 55 years

Re: What have you learnt today?

Originally Posted by Nishin

^ That movie was so funny !

Now, about your BBC link, each point, like the whole package, is like a crappy product that is marketed under a nice appearance or through bait-samples, covering the real nastiness of the whole: like in the cases of the bubble burst, or the euro crisis, and like everything that is yet to come next to the front page of the news, saying all that now is generally considered resentful, grumbling nonsense: until one day the general tone passes from ultimate optimism, despite the perceived "deficiencies", to utter, darkest desenchantment and resentment, and those formerly perceived as prophets of doom will, once Doomsday arrives will then be considered lukewarm, insensitive bystanders.

Re: What have you learnt today?

Originally Posted by belamo

Now, about your BBC link, each point, like the whole package, is like a crappy product that is marketed under a nice appearance or through bait-samples, covering the real nastiness of the whole: like in the cases of the bubble burst, or the euro crisis, and like everything that is yet to come next to the front page of the news, saying all that now is generally considered resentful, grumbling nonsense: until one day the general tone passes from ultimate optimism, despite the perceived "deficiencies", to utter, darkest desenchantment and resentment, and those formerly perceived as prophets of doom will, once Doomsday arrives will then be considered lukewarm, insensitive bystanders.

The crisis is not only European or is it?
I had the idea it was more of a global thing... you know... subprimes... China's yuan...
Eventually I suppose EU will have benefited some countries or (economic) classes of people, and failed others and that opinions about it will differ depending on where one belongs...

It's only 55years old, there IS room for improvement, when it's inhabitants realize the need for thinking globally first, locally second... or at least doesn't make them opponents...

Re: What have you learnt today?

Originally Posted by Nishin

The crisis is not only European or is it?
I had the idea it was more of a global thing... you know... subprimes... China's yuan...
Eventually I suppose EU will have benefited some countries or (economic) classes of people, and failed others and that opinions about it will differ depending on where one belongs...

It's only 55years old, there IS room for improvement, when it's inhabitants realize the need for thinking globally first, locally second... or at least doesn't make them opponents...

The crisis is the systemic crisis of an expansive period, and it is not "only European", since it is a global system, but it IS European-based, therefore being a global crisis as being built on the Western world, which is European-based (the "new Europe" is the USA, by that meaning not that the USA is Europe, but that that nation takes it where Europe left it before being embalmed). China, Russia or that part of the Islamic world that we know is thriving under the impulse giving by the Western world and, like the Weestern world itself without the political and economical structures that support it, will fall back to the previous "natural" backward state, with no democracy and no capitalism... and no civil liberties arising from sophisticated, cosmopolitan urban societies.

During the past millennium there has been a movement of social and economical expansion based on capitalism and democracy, but even the sloppiest analysis will show that it is being used to be reverted to the previous state of oligarchy... that is more "naturally" (for those who are fond of the "natural" and "more universal" state of things) found outside the Western world in the past five to ten centuries.

The EU is not 55 years old: it is as old as Europe itself. You are taking the trademark and the managing system for the actual product.

Re: What have you learnt today?

Originally Posted by belamo

The crisis is the systemic crisis of an expansive period, and it is not "only European", since it is a global system, but it IS European-based, therefore being a global crisis as being built on the Western world, which is European-based (the "new Europe" is the USA, by that meaning not that the USA is Europe, but that that nation takes it where Europe left it before being embalmed). China, Russia or that part of the Islamic world that we know is thriving under the impulse giving by the Western world and, like the Weestern world itself without the political and economical structures that support it, will fall back to the previous "natural" backward state, with no democracy and no capitalism... and no civil liberties arising from sophisticated, cosmopolitan urban societies.

This is an interesting point of view... but I guess we'll just have to wait and see, civilisations come and go, so why not have them go in style with nice silk wrappings and rose scented embalming...

Originally Posted by belamo

During the past millennium there has been a movement of social and economical expansion based on capitalism and democracy, but even the sloppiest analysis will show that it is being used to be reverted to the previous state of oligarchy... that is more "naturally" (for those who are fond of the "natural" and "more universal" state of things) found outside the Western world in the past five to ten centuries.

The EU is not 55 years old: it is as old as Europe itself. You are taking the trademark and the managing system for the actual product.

Well Human is a social animal... that comes with hierarchy, UE or not... let's enjoy the benefits of social and economical expansions, or even try and advance them while we can?

Re: What have you learnt today?

Originally Posted by JohannBessler

The thing is, Nishin, the countries that have experienced the worst pain cannot easily dig themselves out of the troubles.

Let's take Greece and Spain, for instance. Under the old system, the value of the drachma and peseta (sp?) could drop. This would enable Greek and Spanish exports to become cheap again, which would boost their industries, and so on.

As it stands today, the Euro works like a noose around their necks. Greece and Spain face long, grueling recoveries.

Heaven knows, I hope that I am wrong about this.

You're talking about technical details of the current system while I'm envisioning a larger picture...
China devaluates its money for cheap exports, USA prints more and more dollars whose value is indexed on ... stardust or something...
Certainly all US states are not equal in wealth and the poorest states are supported by the richest state's wealth?
When the EU can do that and reduce its dependence (energy wise) from volatile markets it will have reached its goal and upgraded its inhabitants prospects for better lives.

Re: What have you learnt today?

He didn't invent the Internet, per se; the military created it in the 1960s through a top-secret framework called ARPANET, if I recall correctly.

But Al Gore did indeed speak, before anyone else, about the need to develop the Information Superhighway. Before he spoke, no other public figure had paid much attention to it. Looking back at it, he made his spiel at just the right time. Shortly thereafter (1994 or so) the Internet spread like a wildfire, becoming the phenomenon that we all know and love today.